Endometriosis- Raleigh, NC

What is it?

Endometriosis is a health condition where cells from inside the uterus grow outside of the uterus. Endometriosis can be found anywhere in the pelvic region, in between the vagina and the rectum, on the bladder and on the rectum and bowel. In rare cases, endometriosis has even been located in the lungs and diaphragm.

These endometrial cells respond very similar to the cells within the uterus. These cells can respond to hormones just as the cells within the uterus. Swelling, inflammation and scarring of these cells can lead to symptoms.

Symptoms of Endometriosis

Infertility

Painful intercourse

Painful periods

Pelvic pain

Bloating

Constipation

Painful bowel movements

Painful pain

The amount of pain, risk of infertility and severity of symptoms does not necessarily relate to the amount of endometriosis. Some women may not have a significant amount of endometriosis, but may experience a lot of pain. While some women who have vast amounts of endometrial cells do not have severe symptoms.

Treatment

Endometriosis has no cure, however there are many treatment options that can help reverse infertility and minimize symptoms. Progestins and oral contraceptive pills can use hormones to reduce symptoms. This hormone therapy can provide relief for a number of these symptoms. However, if hormone therapy does not have an impact on the improvement of endometriosis symptoms, surgery is an option.

Endometriosis surgery involves the extracting of endometrial cells. This surgery can be done laparoscopically or open. Most often the surgery for endometriosis is performed laparoscopically. This is because it is minimally invasive and requires less recovery time. Most patients are actually released the same day of laparoscopic endometriosis surgery. Performing the surgery laparoscopically allows for a magnified view of the endometrial cells and more precise surgical procedures to be performed.